5 Strange Success Strategies

Unorthodox—but proven—ways to boost productivity

Pay attention, managers: Group the Johns with the Jennifers. The quality of a team’s work improves if its members share the same initials, suggests a new study from the University of Wisconsin.

Your name forms a big part of your “self-concept.” And so you feel an immediate connection with—and familiarity toward—people who share your initials, explains study coauthor Evan Polman, Ph.D. As a result, you’re more comfortable teaming up with like-initialed coworkers, which improves communication and productivity, Polman adds.

Sure, it's weird—but it just might work. Here are four more strange strategies that could lead to success:

Facebook Breaks for Everyone! Surfing the web during work hours increases productivity by 12 percent, according to research from Australia’s Melbourne University. Your brain needs frequent breaks—about one every hour—in order to maintain peak concentration. And taking a 5-minute Internet sojourn to check a score or watch a video allows your mind the rest it needs to lock back in on work, explains study author Brent Coker, Ph.D. He says simple tasks like Facebook browsing are better than shopping or banking, which require some effort.

Pair up the Guys and GirlsWork teams with equal numbers of men and women are most effective, shows a study from New Zealand’s University of Canterbury. Ladies are typically stronger communicators than guys, and are also better at cooperative work tasks. Men, on the other hand, are usually more analytical and competitive. Equal numbers of both tend to balance out these competing strengths and traits, which maximizes productivity, the study authors say.

Sort out Your SeatingOrganize chairs in a circle to emphasize group collaboration, suggests research from Canada. Environmental cues like chair arrangement trigger a need to belong, which in turn primes people to want to work together, says study coauthor Jennifer Argo, Ph.D., of the University of Alberta.

Go GreenFill up the office with plants to boost efficiency. People working alongside greenery enjoyed a 12-percent jump in reaction time and were also 50 percent more attentive, according to a study from Washington State University. Plants not only lower stress but also appear to be mildly stimulating, which improves focus and engagement with job tasks, the authors explain.